Ahmed al-Rouissi

Ahmed al-Rouissi (died 18 March 2015), also known as Abu Zakariya al-Tunisi, was a Tunisian commander of the Islamic State. He was killed in the Battle of Sirte in 2015.

Biography
Ahmed al-Rouissi was born in Tunisia, and became a senior commander of Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamist group in North Africa. In 2013, he masterminded the attacks that killed Tunisian Revolution opposition leaders Mohammed and Brahmi Chokri Belaid. He became one of the most wanted men in Tunisia, and he later pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) in 2014. The presence of ISIS in Tunisia and North Africa diverted many jihadist fighters away from Iraq and Syria and instead to Libya, where the Second Libyan Civil War allowed IS to take over the cities of Derna, Benghazi, Sirte, Nofaliya, and a few others. On 10 March 2015, Tunisia stepped up its involvement in the war with ISIS by dismantling four recruitment cells and arresting 30 people that tried to cross the border to Libya.

al-Rouissi was killed on 18 March 2015 near the city of Sirte during the battle between the Libya Shield Force and the Wilayat Tarabulus of ISIS, getting rid of a major threat to Tunisia.